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Two months ahead of his title defense at Strikeforce's next card – and reportedly its last card – lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has been sidelined again.

The news comes from Tatame, and UFC/Zuffa President Dana White said on a fan chat with the Montreal Gazette earlier in the day Friday that he believed Melendez was going to be off the January show.

Melendez (21-2 MMA, 11-1 SF) has been in this situation before. He was scheduled to defend his title against Pat Healy (28-16 MMA, 6-1 SF) in September in Sacramento. But when he injured his shoulder, Strikeforce canceled the card altogether when broadcast partner Showtime decided to not air the card without Melendez on it as its headliner.

And not long after that, Strikeforce's follow-up show, scheduled for Nov. 3 in Oklahoma City, also was scrapped when Frank Mir pulled out of a headlining bout with Daniel Cormier and co-main event middleweight champ Luke Rockhold also was sidelined.

The cancellation of back-to-back fight cards left fighters, fans and analysts wondering just what the future was for the promotion – and many speculated that the organization likely would fold, with select fighters being folded into the UFC.

But not long after the cancellation of the Nov. 3 show, Strikeforce and Showtime said a blockbuster card was being planned for January. And recently, details began to emerge of that show, which is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Oklahoma City at Chesapeake Energy Arena, site of the canceled Nov. 3 show.

Melendez again was to headline against Healy, with Rockhold vs. Lorenz Larkin in the co-main event and welterweight champ Nate Marquardt defending his belt for the first time against Tarec Saffiedine. Plus, Cormier is to meet Dion Staring in a heavyweight bout.

TMZ reported earlier this month that the event will be the last for Strikeforce, which would mean Melendez's career with the promotion is over.

Melendez trainer and coach Cesar Gracie told Tatame that the fighter will concentrate on moving over to the UFC.

"I think he never recovered from the shoulder injury and will not be able to fight in January," Gracie said. "He had a doctor's appointment this week and the doctor said that he will not be able to fight. We will focus on his recovery. With the end of (Strikeforce), he should migrate to the UFC."

Strikeforce and UFC officials could not immediately comment on Melendez's status. It is not known if Healy will remain on the card in some fashion. Without a Melendez-Healy headliner, the Rockhold-Larkin or Marquardt-Saffiedine title fights could move into the main event.

I don't think Melendez ever like the idea of fighting Healy. Not because he's scared or because he can't beat him, but it's a fight that does nothing for him.

Why waste his time with Healy in January, when he can fight someone with more name recognition in the UFC in February or March.

For an event entitled "Champions," Strikeforce's Jan. 12 event is apparently running out of them very quickly.

According to a report by The MMA Corner, Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has suffered a wrist injury and has been forced to withdraw from the card.

Strikeforce and Showtime officials were unavailable for comment when contacted by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), and executives from both companies have yet to make an official announcement. However, sources close to the bout have indicated Rockhold is indeed a scratch.

Rockhold was expected to face Lorenz Larkin in the evening's main event. The bout was originally expected to serve as the co-headliner, but Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez was also forced to withdraw from the card, and the Rockhold-Larkin bout was elevated to headliner status.

Rockhold is unbeaten in Strikeforce and has defended his title twice since winning it against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. In January, he stopped Keith Jardine in the first round. And in July, in a long-awaited fight, he made relatively easy work of Tim Kennedy, winning by unanimous 49-46 scores.

Larkin was coming into the fight unbeaten off a dominant unanimous decision sweep of Robbie Lawler at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy" in July. His unbeaten record comes with an asterisk of sorts, as he lost by second-round knockout to Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal in January. But when Lawal tested positive for a banned steroid after the fight, the result was flipped to a no contest.

That bout was at light heavyweight. Against Lawler, Larkin made his middleweight debut and the win resulted in a quick title shot.

Rockhold and Larkin were also scheduled to meet in the co-main event of Strikeforce's planned Nov. 3 show in Oklahoma City, but that card was scrapped not long after Rockhold pulled out of the card, also due to a wrist injury.

That card also lost its main event, a heavyweight fight between Daniel Cormier and UFC crossover Frank Mir. The loss of the two marquee fights led to a Showtime decision to not broadcast the card, and then ultimately the Strikeforce cancellation of its second consecutive show.

The Jan. 12 event, which is expected to serve as the promotion's final card, is scheduled for Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena. It's unknown what affect, if any, the potential loss of Melendez and Rockhold would have on the evening's plans.